¿Afrah draws up plans for career after ‘commission’

A CHADDERTON teenager has laid the foundations of her career after helping to design a new £5m youth centre. Afrah Qureshi, of Dearnalaly Way, is hoping to embark on her dreams of becoming an architect after helping create a design blueprint for the new super centre in the heart of Oldham.

A CHADDERTON teenager has laid the foundations of her career after helping to design a new £5m youth centre.

Afrah Qureshi, of Dearnalaly Way, is hoping to embark on her dreams of becoming an architect after helping create a design blueprint for the new super centre in the heart of Oldham.

The 18-year-old former Radclyffe School pupil was one of 45 youngsters from the area who have been working with renowned architects after securing funding from the government's myplace funding.

Afrah, who plans to complete a degree in architecture at Manchester University, said: "I was originally asked to defer for a year because my grades weren't high enough, but when someone dropped out they asked me to start straight away because they were so pleased with all the experience I had gained through my involvement with the myplace development group.

"Being on the group has given me so much confidence and I would never have taken to my studies the way I have without the invaluable experience I got from working with top architects."

The new centre, on Egerton Street, is due to open in 2011 with a gym, IT suite, indoor performance space, dance area and music studio.

Afrah added: "Oldham gets quite a bad reputation with young people messing about, but this centre will get them off the street and give them something to do and it will be really well used because young people have designed it for other young people.

"I'm incredibly proud of all the work we have done on the myplace group and can't wait to see the project we have helped to design become a reality. I can't believe that a project so big has been my first experience of architecture."

Jodie Barber, empowerment and participation officer at Oldham Council, said: "Afrah is inspirational. She has put her heart and soul into being part of the development group. She has realised the opportunities it brings and has run with them.

"This project has inspired the young people and many, like Afrah, are now looking into creative careers. It has also taught them that young people's opinions count.

"This youth centre is what the young people of Oldham deserve and they have not seen anything of this scale and magnitude before. It will impact on every young person in our borough."